When Wood Shaped Paris

A simple but basic question guides Tolbiac's concept: What is housing? Housing should elevate the individual to the level of the world's inhabitants, install homes and cities, connect yesterday and tomorrow, let us think near and far, build our vision, let us touch minerals and wood, light and darkness, caress and rudeness, clear and secluded, hospitable hotels, simple shelters Single.

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Good house building, knows how to calm the bustle of the city without extinguishing it, how to build private salons and public places, how to combine cottages and palaces, how to cultivate a good life, let the wild grass grow, how to watch the sleep of the inhabitants and make the street dream. Without neglecting the functional dimension of the building, the Tolbiac program attempts to explore the expressiveness of materials, the potential of public spaces, the openings and types of arrangement of the landscape, with the place and its history.

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For a long time, the intersection of Tolbiac Street and Chevaleret Street heralded a change in the landscape of the Paris space, from dense suburbs to the universe of the railway, an industrial river crossed by a metal bridge. The development of the left bank of the River Seine has wiped out works of art, buried the railway plains under artificial ground, risking the general urban form that is difficult to express the region's particularity. At the crossroads of the old town and the city that is being formed, the Etoffes de Tolbiac project wants to be part of its site, rather than idealizing the past, to evoke a specific Parisian history in order to give back a specific identity to its residential operation. Time, open to the city, while filtering out its most aggressive annoyances and irritants.
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City Facade

The site occupies a dual strategic location, located at the corner of two streets, with a height difference of almost seven meters between the two streets. Historically, the staircase that connected the two streets was bordered by the place of action and was connected by two plots of land. Craft workshops and warehouses built from the 1920s to the 1960s were replaced by a mixed-run facility comprising 3000 square metres of commercial space and 5000 square metres of housing. The distribution of commercial surface between the first floors of the two streets minimizes the impact of the activity, providing a base for houses extending from the first floor to rue du Chevaleret. The 88 apartments are divided into four blocks, three of which are connected by public space and an independent block on the first floor. The balcony grid unifies the three parts of the project.
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A project of mixed wood and concrete

The duality of wood and concrete guided the design of the project. The mechanical properties, fire resistance and sound attenuation ability of concrete lead to its use in structures. DECIDUOUS PINE IS USED AS A COVERING FOR ALL SURFACES, WHILE THE STRUCTURE OF THE WOOD-FRAME WALL AND THE VERTICAL PILLARS ON THE ELEVATION ARE MADE OF CITRUS PINE. Visible wooden elements acquired a dark color by high pressure sterilization, evoking the exterior walls of an old industrial warehouse in Paris. The tactile and visual qualities of the materials are highlighted. Solid wood is more suitable for raised columns than glued timber. The aim is to improve the quality of the material and develop an aspect of architecture reminiscent of the natural origin of this element, breaking the construction of composite remodeling products that are often used for wood. Glued laminating elements are occasionally used to create curved beams that carry public spaces. Metal is used for the railing, and the bronze finish blends it into the whole.
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Transformation and Gap

The difference between a building and a building is usually reflected in the details. A subtle game adjusts the position of the vertical pillars on the balcony. They do not follow the pattern of rules as it seems at first glance, but shift ten centimeters horizontally and vertically with each layer, gradually connecting with the street space. The device animates elevations and increases the surface of the balcony with increasing levels. This grid that connects the different neighborhoods on one side of the street absorbs the gaps left between each block.

On one side of the courtyard, voids become public spaces, including terraces and plazas, funnels visually connect different levels, and unique elements such as the “nest” and a hanging lounge shared by residents are added. Paris. The two-year pandemic helped measure the value of these spaces open to all residents, providing a one-family alternative and allowing all residents to enjoy views of the city. The rooftop garden, open to all, opens at an angle of 240°, overlooking the panorama and sky that Paris has evolved over decades.
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